CANBERRA, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Australia is on track to set its highest number of influenza infections in recent years.
According to the latest update from the Australian Influenza Surveillance Report, there had been 147,155 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases and 54 influenza-associated deaths as of June 19 this year.
Almost 1,000 cases have required hospitalization for treatment, of which 6.1 percent were admitted to intensive care.
"From mid-April 2022, the weekly number of notifications of laboratory-confirmed influenza reported in Australia has exceeded the 5-year average," said the report.
In the latest report, the Department of Health identified children as the population most at risk of contracting influenza.
"In 2022 to date, people aged 5-9 years, children aged younger than 5 years, and people aged 10-19 years have the highest notification rates," it said.
Health authorities have repeatedly urged Australians to get their influenza vaccines to protect themselves and the hospital system from a double blow with COVID-19 in winter.
Australia on Thursday reported more than 30,000 new COVID-19 infections and more than 50 deaths. There were 3,224 cases being treated in hospitals on Wednesday, including 108 in intensive care.
In an opinion piece published on Wednesday, Health Minister Mark Butler warned Australia was facing "very real challenges" through winter.
"There are currently tens of thousands of new COVID-19 cases reported every day, and thousands of Australians in hospital with the disease. Hundreds of Australians are dying every week," he said.
"We also have the significant threat of influenza for the first time in years. To get through winter, we need to increase third and fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccinations."
As of Wednesday afternoon, a total of 8,087,651 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Australia, including 9,837 deaths, and approximately 237,727 active cases, according to the latest figures from the Department of Health. ■